Leveraging digital to build capacities across multiple programs in West Bengal

Arghyam partnered with PRASARI for their scaled interventions for building capacities of frontline workers across three different projects in West Bengal. 

The engagement covered three programs - springshed management, watershed management and well rejuvenation. The issue in most of the target areas was reducing groundwater levels, reducing spring discharge, poor maintenance of dug-wells and other traditional water structures leading to poor access to water and water scarcity.

• Jharnadhara Springshed Management program

Jharnadhara was a pioneering Springshed program designed at scale which covered 616 springs across 4 districts. It was a collaboration of BRLF and Arghyam to support the soft components of the program while the implementation money is leveraged from MG-NREGA, Department of Rural Development, Government of West Bengal.

The new engagement targeted all 30 springs of Gorubathan block of Darjeeling district with the reimagined capacity building model.

• Usharmukti Watershed Management program

Usharmukti was the first mega watershed project supported by BRLF and implemented by CSO partners. The project covered 55 blocks across 6 districts. It was a collaboration of BRLF and a few other funders like Ford Foundation, Wabag Foundation, to support the soft components of the program while the implementation money was leveraged from MG-NREGA, Department of Rural Development, Government of West Bengal.

30 micro watersheds of Rajnagar block (intensive block) and watersheds of non-intensive block, of Birbhum district piloted the digital capacity building model.

• Well Rejuvenation program

This program was about piloting a well rejuvenation protocol on 80-100 water structures across two districts of West Bengal. Funded by Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI), this project sought to leverage MGNREGA funds.

This new engagement covered five intensive gram panchayats of the project in Matiali & Nagrakata blocks in the Jalpaiguri district.

The reimagined capacity building efforts touched approximately 18000 households. As the scale of operations increased, BRLF collaborated with Arghyam to deploy the capacity building solutions in order to improve the efficacy of their efforts across different phases of the project lifecycle.